


The Enterprise Single Hotel

by lokilenchen



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blind Date, Dadmiral Christopher Pike, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Love at First Sight, M/M, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:22:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29840085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokilenchen/pseuds/lokilenchen
Summary: Leonard has no idea why the hell he is doing this, he is way too old for blind dating and blind dating far away in another state, in a hotel where he knows no one wouldn’t be anything Leonard would normally consider, still here he is.
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Comments: 10
Kudos: 26





	The Enterprise Single Hotel

Leonard has no idea why the hell he is doing this, he is way too old for blind dating and blind dating far away in another state, in a hotel where he knows no one wouldn’t be anything Leonard would normally consider, still here he is. Candidate in a TV show that wants singles to meet in an environment forign to both parties, that apparently is somewhere in the middle of nowhere isolated from the rest of the world. 

Hesitantly Leonard approaches the front desk where an elderly man is already waiting for him. He inwardly curses Christine for having registered him, before he puts on an expression resembling a smile or a grimace, he isn’t entirely sure. 

“You must be Leonard, I’m Christopher Pike, it’s nice to meet you and welcome to the Enterprise Single Hotel,” the organizer of the show tells him, wearing a genuine smile. A hand is held out to Leonard and he accepts.

“Nice to meet ya.”

“Well now, let’s get you to the bar shall we,” Christopher suggests, already steering Leonard in said direction.

“Now that sounds like a plan,” the brunet sighs. 

“So Leonard what brings you here?”

“Nosey coworkers, especially my head nurse, who think it’s a good idea to mingle with my personal life,” Leonard grumbles, sitting down on one of the chairs in front of the bar and ordering a mint julep in the same breath as his previously made statement. 

“It looks like you’re not entirely voluntarily here,” Pike levels him with an asking glance and Leonard answers with an acknowledging twitch of one eyebrow. “Then tell me why your coworkers think you deserve to find the love of your life.”

“There’s a certain back story,” Leonard begins, still feeling the emotional wound that is left behind from his last relationship. “I was married. It was a happy marriage in the beginning or at least I was happy, can’t talk for my ex wife. But it all went to pieces the moment I became head of the neurosurgery department in the hospital I was working at back then, I was working a lot, she was working a lot. We fought a lot and we lived us apart. It got better for a short time, that was the time my daughter was born. We were able to pull ourselves together during that time, but soon we started fighting again. I tried to be a doctor, a father and a husband at the same time. I tried to be everything my ex wife always wanted me to be, but it was never enough.”

Leonard pauses and Christopher Pike looks a little shocked as does the bartender.

“That’s quite the story,” the bartender, an elderly man just like Pike, named Phil breaks the silence.

“That wasn’t everything. I’m bi, something that has always bothered my ex wife. She was good at hiding that fact up until my parental leave was over. Whenever I had to work unusual shifts, which is pretty common in my field of work, she would accuse me of cheating on her. But I wasn’t the one cheating on her, she was cheating on me. She would bring our daughter to my mother and would do god knows what with my former best friend. I found out by accident, my shift ended sooner than it was originally planned and I found them in our bed. After that I packed all my things and that of my daughter and we moved to my mom. The fury of an ex demanded the divorce, she wanted to take everything from me, but I could win custody of my daughter, I was able to keep the most important thing, the most important person in my life. Shortly after we moved to San Francisco.”

“That’s quite the backstory, but that shows me your coworkers are right, you deserve to find your true love, someone who cares for you and your daughter,” Christopher Pike gives Leonard a fatherly pat on the shoulder. “You’ve been through a lot, son and hopefully we can find you a person like that.”

Leonard sits a little bit longer at the bar, sipping his drink, before someone brings him to his assigned hotel room. 

Alone in the room he can think about what he has just told. Great first impression talking about his ex wife like this, spilling his whole damn past. Soon the whole country will know that he, Leonard McCoy is unable to have a healthy relationship. Before he goes to sleep he comes to the conclusion, he should have never agreed to this. Christine will laugh her ass off when she sees what a fool he’s made outta himself.

The next morning he has breakfast, is asked a few more questions, this time he tries not to spill his whole personal history. 

Around midday the doctor takes place at the pool bar, Phil the bartender from yesterday evening greets him with a warm smile. “Leonard, great to see you again. How has your first night in the Enterprise Hotel been? From the look of it not all too great.”

“In the first few minutes here I told everyone watching this everything about my past. I made a fool outta myself,” Leonard groans with one massive eye-roll and a subsequent glare.

“You didn’t make a fool of yourself, you were honest. And now I tell you honestly that you look like you need a drink. I think you noticed I have two glasses here and I don’t drink during my shift, so I’ll bring you to someone else who could use a drink,” Phil places a gentle hand on Leonard’s back and directs him to a lounge not far from the bar.

He can already see tuffs of dirty blond hair peeking out from behind the large couch cushions. They walk around the couch and Leonard is met with the most beautiful blue eyes he has ever seen. Stunned is the only way you can describe Leonard in the moment, his eyes comically wide while he takes in this god of a man. 

It needs a little push from Phil for his brain to kickstart. “Hi, I’m Leonard.” Holy hell he hasn’t been trying to hold a conversation with a foreign person in way too long and the first thing he says is his name, note to self stop talking, learn flirting or start running.

“Hello there eye candy, I’m Jim,” the blond, Jim, pats the spot beside him. 

That’s definitely not the reaction Leonard has thought he’d get. A bark of laughter leaves him. “If that’s how flirting works now, I’m definitely too old for it.”

“Well old man, how did flirting back in the last century work?” 

“Really funny brat, but to answer ya question, I’d simply turn on my Georgian accent like that, give ya a small smile and call ya darlin’, was quite efficient back then,” Leonard drawls, sitting down next to Jim. He’s already so caught up in Jim’s presence that he doesn’t even notice Phil has left or the glasses filled with drinks placed in front of them.

“That’s impressive mister Georgia, I bet it had a lot of girls and boys swooning on the spot, but I’m not so easy to impress, I need more information, like what you do for a living?” 

“I’m a surgeon, neurosurgeon to be exact, now your turn,” Leonard dares the blond with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m a teacher, Bones,” the blond grins and winks.

“Bones!? Who’s that supposed to be?” 

“You,” Jim laughs. “And before you level me with another of your raised eyebrows, let me explain this perfect nickname. First of all you're from Georgia, I would bet on a more rural region with farms, horses and cowboy hats, you describe yourself as old, which you aren’t by the way and you're a surgeon. To get to the point, you’re a sawbones, which leads to the awesome nickname Bones.”

Leonard is speechless, he’s never had a nickname besides maybe Leo or Len and really he doesn’t need one, still he likes that Jim has found a fitting way to call him in this short period of time. He tries to act annoyed, but somehow he knows Jim can look right through his gruff facade.

They talk on for quite a while, Leonard learns a lot about Jim, finds out that Christopher Pike is Jim’s godfather and that he wanted Jim to join his single show, that Jim is 26, that Jim loves kids, that he has an older brother and he tells Jim a lot about himself as well, even gives him hints about his divorce and his daughter. He just feels safe with telling Jim that. 

And the longer the conversation continues the more afraid Leonard becomes that someone else could be his blind date. He thinks Jim might feel the same way, but he can’t be sure they only know each other for a few hours, even though it feels like an eternity. 

This is the first time since the beginning of his marriage that he feels something like butterflies in his stomach, maybe not yet butterflies, but rather caterpillars that might turn into butterflies. 

At the end of their conversation or rather by the time Leonard has to go to get ready for his blind date, the blond has moved close enough that their sides are touching and Leonard has a great aversion against getting up and going right now. Sadly he has to go, that’s what he’s here for after all.

“Jim I would love to keep talking like this for another few hours at least, but sadly I can’t, my blind date is scheduled in about an hour,” Leonard says trying to sound neutral, trying not to let his sadness show.

“Yeah Bones, you go have fun,” in Jim’s voice he hears the sadness he feels about leaving, hidden behind another blinding smile.

“See ya later Jim,” with a pat on Jim’s knee and a small but sad smile tugging on his own lips he gets up and leaves.

In his room he changes into a pair of dress pants and a button down shirt, an action he does almost unconsciously for his prime focus is still on Jim. His thoughts revolve around the younger man’s beautiful smile, the infectious laugh that makes his eyes crinkle and has even Leonard want to join in, the blue eyes that Leonard finds himself drowning in, the dirty blond hair that looks like gold to Leonard and the earth that radiates off of him. How can he be open to meet another person on a blind date when he has already developed a small crush on the man he met a little while ago; he’s screwed.

On the way to his blind date the thoughts about what he’s gonna do if Jim isn’t his blind date occupies him further, until he is once more greeted by Chris Pike. 

“Leonard you’re the first one to arrive, come take a seat, order a drink, your date will be here any moment.” 

Leonard does as Pike tells him. Taking a seat he turns to see the doorway, it’s not long after that that a person steps into the doorway. The man isn’t Jim, but still someone Leonard knows.

“Geoffrey M’Benga, I can’t believe it.” 

“Leonard McCoy.” 

It’s only a few steps until they pull each other into a brotherly hug. Christopher Pike just stares at them disbelievingly. “You two know each other?”

“We were roommates in med school,” Leonard informs.

“We weren’t only roommates in med school, we were best friends in med school,” Geoff corrects.

After that Chris brings them to their table, even though that’s not gonna be a date but rather a meal between friends who have a lot of catching up to do. And that’s what it is: they tell each other how their lives have been after they left medical school, Leonard tells him about his ex wife, his daughter and his new job as chief of surgery in San Francisco, he even tells him about Jim. When they’re asked if they want a second date, both answer with a laughed no, but this time they want to stay in contact. 

After his kinda failed date he once again takes place at the pool bar. Only a few moments later a familiar presence slips onto the bar stool next to him.

“How has it been?” Jim asks, taking place in Leonard’s personal space as if he belongs there.

“My date was my best friend in college, it was nice to see him again, but we could never be more than friends,” Leonard tells and the smile on Jim’s face gets blinding. “Hey, stop grinning, I was supposed to find my big love here.”

“I still believe you can find your one big love here, Bones. It may be right in front of you,” Jim winks. “I have my date in a few minutes, but I won’t get my hopes up too high, Chris has never been good at finding a fitting partner for me. Besides, I’ve already sent my eyes onto someone.”

Jim is about to get up and go, but Leonard stops him. “Wait before you go, I wanted to tell you something.” He waits for a moment, but seeing Jim’s expectant look he continues, “I have a backstory. I was married and I have a child, a daughter.” 

Afraid of what Jim’s gonna say he looks down onto his hands. Jim probably won’t want to have something to do with him now.

“I know,” Jim answers and the brunet’s head shoots up. 

“You know?!”

“Bones, you often check your phone, normally people look for messages from their partner, but since you’re here to find one that can’t be it and you're too far from your hospital to look for any kind of emergency, so you must be looking for messages from your kid, also you broadcast a lot of gay dad vibes and don’t worry, I like it,” with that Jim leaves and Leonard is stunned once more. 

As soon as Jim is gone Leonard can’t help but start to worry again, he can’t even enjoy his drink, so he moves to his hotel room to calm down; it’s not working.

The longer he’s alone in his room the more he worries Jim will like his date better than him, because who’d want an old bitter divorcée with a daughter. 

His line of thought is disturbed by loud knocking on his hotel door. Opening the door he sees Jim, who in turn pushes Leonard back into his room, kicks the door shut and attacks Leonard with a fierce kiss. It takes a while for the doctor to return the kiss, but once he’s overcome his surprise he starts kissing back, his hands moving to Jim’s neck and waist. 

They kiss until their lungs burn, pulling away only to take much needed breaths. 

“I take it, your date wasn’t a success either?”

“How can it be, when you’re the only thing on my mind.” 

Jim leans in to kiss Leonard once again, but the brunet stops him, “I don't want a one-night-stand.”

“This isn’t gonna be a one-night-stand, this is just the beginning of our story together,” with that Jim joins their lips once more.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a celebration fic, cause yesterday I found out that I passed all my final exams. So I hope y’all enjoy this little story of mine.


End file.
